Hurricane Sandy

Julio Cortez / Associated Press

Part of a home rests upside-down in Seaside Heights, N.J. on Oct. 31 after superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey. The rest of the home sat away from its original spot and in the middle of a street.

Part of a home rests upside-down in Seaside Heights, N.J. on Oct. 31 after superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey. The rest of the home sat away from its original spot and in the middle of a street. (Julio Cortez / Associated Press)

Hours before one of the largest storms on record made landfall in southern New Jersey on Monday evening, Hurricane Sandy was speeding up and lashing the East Coast, pushing floodwaters in low-lying areas from Maryland to New York, bringing transportation systems to a halt and snapping electrical connections.